Power-transmission mechanism.



M. sEvEY. i POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM. APPLCATION fILED DEFI. I8, l9l2;'

Patented July 255 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

M' @C @uw M. L. SEVEHY. POWER TRNSMISSION MEC'HANISM. APPLICATION FILED DEcfl. 1.912. ,1 l 92,233. Patented July 25, 1916. l v I Y' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I1 Il:

M. L. sEvERY.

POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISM. y f APPLICATION mib Inma.y i912. f 'y 1 Patented July 25,"1916. I

lssIIEUs-SIIEET 3f., I I

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIcE.

iIELvIN'I.. sEvERY, or ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IiIAssAcHUsETTs, AssIGNOR To sEvERY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OE BOSTON,` MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OE MASSACHUSETTS.

Specication of Letters Iatent.

POWER-TRANSMISSIOlS MECHANISM.

,Patented July 25, 1916.

Application iled December 18, 1912.' Serial No. 737,392.

'sion mechanism.

The object of the invention is to provide improved means for transmitting power, comprising a driving member, a driven member, and an interposed medium for transmitting the power from the former to the latter, the relations of the driving or driven member, or of the driving and driven members with respect to said medium being varied to regulate the amount of power transmitted.

In the present embodiment of the inven- 'tion I preferably employ va fluid orfluids,

suchvas oil, or mercury and oil, although I may employ a finely divided solid, or a mixture of the two. Where a solid is to be used Il should prefer that it be 'divided in sphericalform, as balls of steel or the like, and I would generally use a iuid with the balls to cushion their shock upon each other and the confining walls, for the purpose of lubrication `and diminution of wear, and to reduce no1se.

posed without in the leastdeparting from power applied to 'the inner member of my device and taken off from the outer member there would be no essential difference ih the principle of. operation.

As I have ,preferred to illustrate my invention the driving member comprises a drum which is revolvedand provided with fingers orpins so arranged that the contained fluid is forced to rotate' with it and seek its outer portion by centrifugahforce. This produces a rapidly moving stream of fluid having centrifugal pressure as well as high velocity. The driven member ise provided with fingers or pins which are` adapted to beim-f mersed in the circularly moving stream of iuid to a greater or less extent, or to be moved in any other way to vary the area of their acting surfaces, and these fingers are carried along with said fluid; the greater the immersion or the greater the extent of Itl is obvious that the relation of,` driving and driven members might be transleach circumferentialrow (see Fig. 4).

the acting surfaces the of power transmitted. In the accompanyingdrawings, Figurel. 1s a central, longitudinal, vertical section of greater the amount `a preferred embodiment of my invention,

2 is an end elevation of the pin-carrier for the driven member, Fig. 3 is a central, longitudinal, vertical section of a modified form of the invention, Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section of the-same, Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the inner drum, Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section, showing a modified form of device for varying the amount of fluid which is active upon the fingers or pins', Fig. 7 is a similar view of another modified form, Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views of various forms of fingersor vlo pins, and Fig. 12 'is a perspective view on Y i a larger scale of the preferred form of pin.

In the Aembodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the driving member comprises a drum 20, having at one end a chamber 21 and a boss 22 into which a shaft 24 is pinned. The

4boxes 31 and 32, respectively, 'to prevent leakage of the oil or other liquid while the device is stationary. It will be understood that when the device is running the fluid is thrownagainst the periphery of the drum and away from the central portion.

. The drum 20 is provided with a hole 34 `for filling, which is closed by a cap 35, and said drum is also provided with an air vent for filling, which is closed by a screw 36.

The drum 2O has rows of inwardly projecting pins 38. These rows extend longitudinally-and circumferentially. Inlthe present .embodiment I -have shown seven pins in each longitudinal row,' and sixteen"p'1ns i111l prefer to have the circumferential'rows each `revolve in one plane, although I do-not conjinemyself to this construction.

The driven member comprises a drum4 110 having a cylindrical wall aixed to end plates or walls 41 and 42, preferably by suitable ears 391screwed to 41 and 42, said cylindrical wall being pierced by small holes 43 to enable the fluid 27 to pass readily through the periphery of the inner ,or driven drum. Within the driven drum is a pyramidal member or actuator 44, which is slidably keyed to the shaft 30 and is connected to the end wall 42 by a series of pins 46, said end wall being provided with a central boss 45 which surrounds a hub 48, extending longitudinally from the member 44 and connected to the friction cone 29.

In the present embodiment the actuator 44 is shown as octagonal, but I do not con- 'fine myself to this form. Each side of the pyramidal member is provided with a groove in which a block is slidably mounted, each block carrying a row ofpins or fingers 5l.. The pins on both the driving and the driveiimeinber may be of various cioss-sections, as shown by 51, 51", and 51,

in Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, although 1 prefer the form shown in Figs. 11 and 12. The pins shown in Fig. 10 `move with their Hat sides forward withI reference to their movement through the liquid. The pins shown in Figs. 11 and 12 are arranged to move through the liquid with their blunt sides forward 4with respect to the movement of liquid past them, so as to secure considerable resistance to their movement through the liquid while at the saine time causing l deflection of the liquid laterally with respect to the paths of the pins. This prevents the formation of lamin of liquid rotating with corresponding sets ofv pins and secures .an

`effective interaction of the pins upon each 'other throughthe medium of the interposed liquid as this liquid to a very considerable degree is moved back and forth between the `paths of pins moving in relatively opposite directions. The pins may be cast integrally or they may be formed with Shanks 51d to be driven into place.

The blocks 50 are held in the grooves in the actuator 44 by plates 52, and they are held against endwise motion by the end wall` 42 and by a flange 54 formed on the inside of the right hand wall ofthe drum 20. The( clutch-member 29 is rovided with a peripheral groove 56 whie is adapted |to receive any desired form of shipper, with which the member 29 and the actuator 44 may be moved longitudinally. When the .actuator 44 is moved longitudinally, the blocks 50 with their pins 51 are moved in or out, said pins passing through holes v58 provided in the wall 40, and between the pins 38 which project inwardly from yth'e drum 20. When the outer, or driving, drum is rotated. the fluid 27 passes through the holes 43 into the annular chamber 60 formed between the inner and outer, drums, and is thrown out- 38 and cylindrical wall 20.

.wardly by centrifugal force against the pins hus a rapidly iowing circular' river is produced in which the iuid is also under great centrifugal pres- "lhe nearer the clutch-member 29 approaches the clutch-member 28, the farther the pins 5l are projected into the rapidly moving fluid 27, and the greater the extent to which said pins are immersed the greater` the amount of power transmitted from the driving drum to the driven drum. When the pins are immersed to their fullest extent, the maximum power is transmitted, and at this time the clutch-members 29 and 28 are brought into engagement, whereupon the giriving is effected through said clutch-memers.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 .the driving member comprises an outer cylindrical shell 70, having an end wall 71 preferably integral therewith, and an`end wall 72 affixed thereto by screws.

The wall 71 is provided with a boss 73- 77 is connected by three piston rods 78 to a spider 79, slidable on a shaft 80, said spider also carrying an outer clutch-member 82. An inner clutch-member 84 is pinned to tlieshaft 80, said shaft passing, through a stuing-box 83 and slidablv entering the boss 73. The shell 75 is provided with rows of inwardly projecting pins 86 similar to,

those heretofore described.. These may be of the cross-section shown, or they may be of any other suitable cross-section.

The inner, or driven, member comprises a drum 90, which is slidably keyed to the shaft 80, and provided. at one end with' a plate 92 affixed thereto by screws 98, and provided at its other edge with a flange 94. The outer 'faces of the plate 92 and Harige 94 3v and 5 and of the-plate 42 and annulus 41 are fiat, whereas their inner faces beyond the periphery of the drum are sinusoidal, as shown in Fig.y 5. The purpose of this is to'secure an axial vibratory shifting of the liquid withrespect to the drum as the ins upon the periphery of the drum 90, these rows pins of the outer drum, and rings of slower l .25 A ways, viz. bya longitudinal movement of the drums in combination with their circa-- amplitude and frequency of the vibratory shiftingof the liquid obviously may be varied by varying the' height and spacing of the crests of the sinusoidal faces mentioned, and in cases where the driven shaft is to be rotated at nearly the same speed as the driving shaft I regard it as. desirable to space the crests more closely than in cases where a relatively large slippage is' to occur. Rows of pins or lingers 96 extend outwardly from extending. longitudinally and circumferentially, as explained heretofore. l

The outer,"or driving, drum has rows of inwardly projecting pins, and the inner, or driven, drum has outwardly projecting pins, and these pins pass each other in the' spaces left in each row for that purpose. The pins in a circumferential row preferably rotate in one plane. The result of this condition is that there would naturally tend tobe rings of faster moving fluid in the planes of the moving fluid in the planes of the pins of the inner drum.l This may be remedied in two lar movement, which would bring the slowmoving pins into the fast-moving fluid, and vice versa. This entails some complication and some expense of power, so I prefer the way I have shown, viz. to move the fluid itself longitudinally by making the walls of the. driven drum sinuous to an amount at least equal to the distance between the center ofla driving pin and that of the nearest driven pin. This sinuosity causes .the fluid to be moved as a. mass longitudinally back and forth, in the direction of the axis of the drum or laterally with referenceto the plane of rotation, bringing the fast-moving fluid vaga-instA the driven pins to accelerate them, and then when the fluid is retarded sending it back against'thefast-moving pins to be speeded up again. The second way employed conjointly with the .foregoing'is to I shape the striking and struck surfaces of the pins so as to Ycause the fluidA to be more or less reflected from one system to the other.

I prefer the form shown in Fi s. 11 and 1,2, although I have used some o theotherforms shown.

The chamber 76 is adapted to hold the tra-nsmitting medium or fluid, which is allowed' to pass intoA or out of the space 97 between the drum .and the shell 7 5 through -one or more holes 984 provided in the ,shell '75'.v

When the device` is started up, the piston 7 7 is at the right hand end of the chamber 76, and the transmitting fluid is contained in the lower half of said chamber, and some is inthe lower half of the chamber ,97.

When the device is s eededup, the f'luid will enter the chamber 6 under' the Aaction of centrifugal force. Now, to produce a driving connection between the driving member and4 the member to be driven, the clutch t member 82 is moved toward the left, and with it the piston 77- is moved toward the left, thus forcing the fluid in the chamber 76 through the holes 98 into the chamber 97.

Here itis rotated at high speed and with" great centrifugal pressure, by the pins 86 on the shell 75, and encounters thelpins 96 on the drum 90.

Inorder to vary the power, orthe speed under constant load without varying the speed of the driving member, it is merely vnecessary to vary the area upon which the fluid acts. Thus as the piston 77 is' moved toward the-left, a greater amount of fluid is forced into the-space 97, and consequently a greater area of the pins 96 is immersed in `the fluid. When the piston is moved over to the extreme left the Tentire amount 'of l fluid is in the chamber 97 andthe maximum bag or-tube 100, (see Fig. 6) of rubber or f other suitable material adapted to contain the fluid 101 and communicating with the chamber 97 through apassage 102. A pis-A 'ton 104, operated in thenanner vexplained above, is adapted to compress the bag to force the fluid into the chamber 97, or, when moved in the opposite direction, to allow the fluid to escape from said chamber into said bag. Or, -I may employ an annular, metallic accordion-like device 110, shown in .-Fig. 7, which can be substituted forthe -rubber bag 100, and can be compressed by the piston 104. 1

Various other alternative arrangements Vwill suggest themselves, the essential purpose being to secure a movable abutment which will act upon'the Huid to displace the same and which in any manner is protected against leakage offluid past the same.

' Where mercury 1s used in connection withv a rubber bag, the rubber must be free' from sulfur, and the mercury is preferably protected and lubricated with somejfluid which '.will not attack rubber, as for -example glycerin. With Athe metallic expander, preferablyofsteel, mercury and any oil could be used.

From the foregoing it is obvious that either form of device described involves two relatively movable sets of pins, the pins of each set assing through spaces between the pins of tfie other set, and the two sets react- 111g upon each other through an interposed liquid medium, which either by an adjustment of the -pins themselves or of the amount of liquid inoperative relation with the pins', is varied in the degree of its effec'- tive interaction with the two sets of pins. Fundamentally the adjustment yis identical in the two cases, because it is in both cases an adjustment of the effective interaction of the pins and the interposed liquid. In addition to the above feature is the idea of deflection of the li'quid laterally so as alternately to come into theV aths ofthe two sets of pins, this action belng produced by a beveled form of pin or by sinuous guide anges, or both. Obviously in yany given adjustment of the device the speed of the driven ,element will accommodate itself to the load imposed on that element.

Although the transmitting fluid is shown in the central portion of the device in the drawings, it will be understood that this is its position just as the device is starting. When once in motion the fluid will move outward under the action of centrifugal force.

What I claim is:-

1. A power transmitter comprising a Huid-tight chamber; a body of fluid within said chamber; a driving means acting upon said iiuid body to rotate it; a driven means absorbing energy from the rotating fluid; and means for bodily shifting the driving fluid laterally "to the plane of rotation, while the device is in operation. 2 2. A power transmitterV comprising a closed drum or shell; a body of fluid within said shell; a driving means acting upon said fluid to rotate the same; a driven means having fingers extending into thel moving fluid and thereby absorbing energy from the rotation of said fluid; and means for bodily reciprocating said driving iuid in the direction of the axis of rotation, during operation of the device.

3. A power transmitter comprising, in combinationf a sealed containing shell or drum; a iiuid contained within said drum; a driving member acting upon said fluid to rotate the same; a driven member absorbin energy from the rotation of said Huid; ancgl means for producing relative lateral movement between said iuid and said members, during rotation of the parts.

Ll. A power transmltter comprising a closed containing drum or shell; a iuid contained therein; a driving member acting upon the Huid to rotate the same; a driven member absorbing energy from the rotation of said fluid and means for producing relative reciprocatory lateral movement between said fiuid and said rotating members during 'the rotation of said members.

5. A power transmitter comprising a closed shell' or drum; a fluid medium con-` tained therein; a driving member provided with radial pins vor projections extending into and serving to give rotary motion to the Huid medium; a driven member 10` c5 vided with radial projections arranged) to amount of engagement of said driven member with said medium to regulate the amount of power transmitted, and means for causing said medium to shift longitudinally during its rotation.

7. A power transmission mechanism, comprising a rotarydriving member provided with inwardly projectin pins, a transmitting medium adapted to e engaged and rotated by said pins, a driven member having outwardly projecting pins adapted to be engaged by said medium to rotate said driven member, and means for causing said medium to shift longitudinally during its rotation.

8. A power transmission mechanism, comprising a rotary driving member provided with inwardly projecting pins, a transmitting medium adapted to be engaged and rotated by said pins, a driven Vmember having outwardly projecting pins adapted t` be engaged by said medium to rotate said driven member, and means for varying the amount of said medium which is rotated in engagement with said pins.

9. A power transmission mechanism, comprising a rotary driving member provided with inwardly projecting pins, Ia transmitting medium adapted to be engaged and rotated by said pins2 a driven member having loutwardly projecting pins adapted to be engaged by said medium to rotate said driven member, means for varying the extent to which Vthe pins of the driven member engage said medium, and means for causing said medium to reciprocate longitudinally during'its rotation.

10. A power transmission mechanism, comprising a rotary driving member :provided withv inwardly projecting pins, a transmitting medium adapted to be en ged and rotated by' said pins, a' rotar'y raiven member having outwardly projecting adapted to be engaged by said medium to rotate said driven member, means for va' ing the extent to which the ins oft e driven member engage the me 'um, means for causing said medium to reciprocate lon- 'tudinally durin or locking said riving and' driven mem- Pins its rotation, and means bers together when the pins of said driven thereof, a fluid arranged to .be rotated by said pins and subjected to. centrifugal action, a driven member having a plurality of' rows .of spaced pins extending lon itudinally and circumferentially thereof, and means for causing said fluid to move back and forth longitudinally while being rotated; Y l2. A power transmission mechanis comprising in combination a receptacle having two communicatingchambers; a liquid contained in one chamber; a rotary driving member provided with impelling blades turningin said second chamber; a rotary driven member provided with impelling blades rotating in said second chamber coaxiallyfwith the first named impelling blades; i

' pelling blades with said liquid.y

13. A power transmission mechanism, comprising a driving member having provision for producing a rapidly revolving stream of fluid with great centrifugal pressure, a driven member having means .adapted to be immersed in said fluid to a varying degree to vary the amount of power transmitted, and means for causing said fluid to shift longitudinally ,during its rotation.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

MELVIN L. SEVERY. 

